Life With A Traumatic Brain Injury -- Acknowledging The Truth And Moving On

I have a brain injury, but... I have a brain injury. There. I've said it. Publicly. It's so much easier to not say it, to not admit it, to not talk about it. For the first five months after my accident, I didn't talk about my brain injury with anyone. Because I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to explain how I felt, or discuss my symptoms, or detail how my healing was going. Even now, I'd rather my injury not be there (and I know how obvious and stupid that statement sounds). I'd rather not be injured, but I am. I have what neurologists classify as a traumatic brain injury, a TBI. Specifics: For the first time in my life, I can't spell. Since the car accident on December 4th, 2014, I've had to relearn more than 500 words. Sometimes simple words. Three days ago, I relearned the spelling of the word "sandwich" (a complicated word -- I know). Yesterday, I relearned the spelling of the word "wiggly." Today -- to copyedit this article -- I had to relearn the spellings of "dissipate" and "avocado." Small words sometimes. Uncomplicated words. The thing is, I don't know what I don't know until I come across it. I'm writing, and I have to spell a word and I start typing... ... and a vast blankness appears in my mind like a gray sheet of paper has slid in front of my eyes. There's nothing there, and I have no idea. I can't even guess. Also, I have headaches. Regular and significant headaches. If I get stressed or it's too loud or there are too many things happening a...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news